Gender-based Morphometric Analysis of Mandibular Foramen in Dry Adult Human Mandibles in the Tertiary Care Centre, Dehradun: A Cross-sectional Cadaveric Study

Introduction: The knowledge of the location of the Mandibular Foramen (MF) is important for effective local anaesthesia in dental surgeries and mandibular implants. The location of the foramen can vary in different populations, but very few studies have explored the differences between males and females. Aim: To estimate the morphometric parameters of the MF in male and female dry adult mandibles. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional cadaveric study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy at Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences, Dehradun (Uttarakhand) India, from October 2019 to December 2022. The location of MF in 75 dry adult male mandibles and 50 dry adult female mandibles was measured. All the anatomical parameters (MF to Anterior Border of mandibular ramus (MF-AB), MF to Posterior Border of mandibular ramus (MF-PB), MF to Mandibular Notch (MF-MN), MF to Angle of Mandible (MF-AG), MF to Inferior Border of mandibular ramus (MF-IB), MF to Mandibular Condyle (MF-MC), MF to apex of Retromolar Trigone (MF-RT), and AB of mandibular ramus to PB of mandibular ramus (AB-PB)) were measured using a sliding digital vernier caliper in both genders, based on the right and left mandibular foramina from different bony landmarks. Continuous data obtained was expressed as mean±Standard Deviation (SD). Analysis was done by applying an independent t-test via Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Results: MF-IB was 26.09 mm±3.52 mm (RT) and 25.31 mm±3.24 mm (LT) in males, while it was 24.29 mm±3.27 mm (RT) and 24.12 mm±3.21 mm (LT) in females. The difference was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05), implying that the distance is larger in males as compared to females. MF-MC was 35.59 mm±4.44 mm (RT) and 34.89 mm±4.91 mm (LT) in males and 32.39 mm±4.11 mm (RT) and 32.52 mm±4 mm (LT) in females. The difference between the two was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). MF-RT in males was 11.41 mm±2.19 mm (RT) and 11.87 mm±2.57 mm (LT), while in females, it was 11.40 mm±2.05 mm (RT) and 11.30 mm±2.09 mm (LT). The difference between these two was statistically significant (p<0.001) on the left-side. AB-PB was longer on the right-side in males (32.31 mm±3.05 mm) than in females (21.66 mm±3.0 mm), and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). Therefore, the results imply that the MF is located lower and slightly more anteriorly in males as compared to females. Conclusion: The results indicate significant differences in the location of the male and female MF. The present study provides useful information for successful inferior alveolar nerve blocks during dental surgeries and maxillofacial surgeries.